


Before the world dies Part 1: The man with the golden heart

by Parasite_Satellite



Series: Golden Candy [3]
Category: Fortnite (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comedy, F/M, Gen, Headcanon, Midas and Jules are siblings, Midas is a dork, Not as serious as you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29634186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parasite_Satellite/pseuds/Parasite_Satellite
Summary: (Takes place before the Chapter 2 Season 4 live event.)One week to go until Galactus arrives and destroys Apollo and everyone who inhabit it.Tony Stark has called for Midas and other Apollo residents to attend a meeting with him in Stark industries. But what does the Iron Man want with the former Ghost leader? More importantly, what is Midas hiding from everyone?
Relationships: Midas/Zoey (Fortnite)
Series: Golden Candy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171937
Kudos: 1





	Before the world dies Part 1: The man with the golden heart

It began when a man fell from the heavens just outside of Salty Springs. At first, everyone was terrified of the stranger, his eyes glowed porcelain white, and in their hand, he carried a powerful artifact in the form of a hammer. It soon grew chaotic when he summoned multiple people to his side, each bearing mighty powers that were beyond people's understanding of them. The chaos reached a climax when the stranger warned the people of Apollo of a looming threat heading there way. A cosmic entity known simply as Galactus was heading towards Apollo to devour the planet to grow in power. It wasn't hard for people to believe them they are superheroes from another world, and the night sky warned the citizens of his threat. It started as a small pink star, but people soon noticed that the star was getting bigger. It soon became apparent that it wasn't a star but rather the monster himself. Now his face and body were visible through the naked eye. Slowly, he was heading for the island, ready to devour all that inhabit it. While fear began to rise, the heroes started their plan to find a way to defeat Galactus and save everyone from his wrath. The clock was ticking.

Midas almost spilt the non-alcoholic beverage in his hand when the limo drove through a pothole as it made the way towards Stark Industries. With quick reflexes, he sat up straight and held the glass with his two hands, keeping it away to prevent it spilling on his clothes or the seats of the limo. He gasped with relief when the drink began to settle back into the glass. Once he knew that it was safe to do so, he leaned back into the black leather seat and removed one of his golden hands from the glass.

He looked around the limo. It was big enough the fit, ten people. However, he was the only one here. It felt empty. The only sign of another person was the limo driver. Midas gazed at him through the cloudy glass that separated the two. Only half of the drivers head was visible, though his large, black hat covered most of it. Midas attempted to speak a few words to him, but he quickly realized that the glass was soundproof. He was alone with only his thoughts to accompany him. 

In a board sigh, Midas pulled out the invitation from his front pocket. Addressed to him and covered in classified stamps, the letter, a mix of formal and casual tones, called on Midas to attend a meeting with Tony Stark in Stark Industries, the meeting in question was about Galactus. He scoffed with confusion. Why would Tony Stark want him to help with defeating Galactus? Did Iron Man need him to turn the giant into gold? The invitation baffled him as Midas didn't have much nowadays. He wasn't apart of Ghost anymore. The only thing he had left to his name where his golden hands. 

He remembered getting the letter last week, the same day Jules gifted him the Rex suit. At first, he thought nothing of it, that it was just a weird prank being pulled on him until he learnt that Jules also got the same invitation as him. He remembered the limo pulling up to his house an hour ago. That took Midas by surprise, seeing the long back limo in front of him, honking its horn to get them inside. 

Midas placed the letter back into his pocket with a weary hand. His foot tapped on the limo floor. He covered his mouth with his hand while counselling a yawn as he stared out from the window. Only a couple of minutes, and he'll be at Stark Industries. Yet, he was board. Midas could be attending one of the most important meetings of his life. After losing his position as the leader of Ghost, that is. However, all he felt was boredom. Midas was annoyed that he wasn't allowed to bring anyone with him to the meeting. If Zoey was here, the trip would be more enjoyable to him. 

He lounged in his seat when his mind went back to Zoey. It's been weeks since Midas learnt of his feelings for her. He tried using the mirror technique that Skye showed him a while back to get him comfortable with admitting his feelings to her, but when he spoke the phrase, 'I love you.' His voice goes hoarse, and he struggles to mutter those three simple words. The mental image of Zoey appearing through his eyes when he stared at the mirror made him stutter to a stop. Still, Midas continued to work on himself. So they can be ready to let Zoey know how much they care about her. Reaching out his hand to his other pocket, he pulled out a collection of small flashcards, giving to him by Skye. Each card contained different pickup lines for Midas to practice on, even if they found some of them too inappropriate or childish for his personal taste. He looked back at the time. Midas has a couple of minutes to spare. It wouldn't hurt to practice a bit.

"Roses are red. I have a crush. Whenever I'm around you, all I do is blush." Midas read one of the cards in his monotoned voice. Reading it almost made his cheeks turn a shade of peach, it was embarrassing to admit, but whenever Zoey made a sweet comment or pulled a cute face, Midas couldn't help but feel his face heating up. He shook his head, picking up the next card.

"If kisses were crowns, you would be the queen of my heart." He rolled his eyes after reading it. Where did Skye get these? He bent a small piece of the corner before placing it back into the deck. Midas was going to save that one for later. 

"Your clothes would look better accelerating towards my bedroom floor at 9.8 m/s." Midas only read half of it out loud before throwing it back into the deck in a gasp. His cheeks grew hotter. He shakes his head. They need to talk with Skye about this when the meeting was over. 

Midas turned his head back to the window. Outside he saw Stark Industries surrounding it where the residents of Apollo. Some were trying to fight off the Stark robots to get access to the building. They were behind a large metal fence. Midas could hear the chaos from outside the limo. Looking at the entrance, he saw the other heroes that came to his world. Thor, Black Widow, Daredevil, Storm, Jenifer, Mystique, Groot, Wolverine and many others were standing outside the entrance by the looks of things. They appeared to be leaving the building. Some of them waved at the crowd, and some walked back to their limos stationed in the car park. 

Through the view, Midas caught a glimpse of someone he never wanted to see again; Deadpool. Deadpool had arrived in their world months before the other heroes and did nothing but make his presence know, especially to Ghost. In his first week here, he hijacked Midas' yacht and remodeled it as his personal party boat, essentially making Meowscles homeless as he was living there while Midas worked at the Agency. But that wasn't all after Deadpool joined Ghost. He deliberately made Midas' work life a living hell. Midas had lost count over how many times he found his study area trashed by him while making snarky remarks to wind him up. While waving at the crowd, Deadpool caught a glimpse at Midas in the limo. Immediately, his face lit up, now waving at the limo calling for Midas' name, flashing the official Ghost badge that he still wore on his suit. Even with the mask on, it was easy to tell that the anti-hero was smiling with joy seeing his former boss again. Midas sunk further into the leather seat, hiding his face with his hand as the limo continued to drive to the entrance.

Once the car stopped, Midas quickly placed his flashcards back into his pocket as he dowsed the remaining drink he had left. Placing the empty glass on top of the mini bar, he slid to the door while a Stark robot came and opened it for him. When he got out of the limo, the noises became blaring, the crowd beyond the fence continued their chaos. Trying to ignore it, he followed one of the Stark Robots towards the entrance. Still, their voices boomed in his head.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" a masculine voice is heard in the crowd. Midas tried to avoid it, but the stranger continued to scream in rage. "That monster has no right to be here. Why would Tony Stark need him? He destroyed the island. He ruined my life! He's dose nothing but destroys everything we've worked for, Fuck you, Midas!" Despite being swung at with verbal abuse, Midas held his head up high, walking through the double glass door. But inside, Midas wanted to scream.

Walking into the metallic red door towards the meeting room, Midas didn't know what to expect when he entered. The question of why Tony Stark has asked him to come here still baffled him, yet, he decided to maintain formality whatever this meeting was. He was to treat it like any other conference he would have had back in Ghost. Midas took in a deep breath, making a neutral face. He pushed open the doors in front of him and prepared to face whatever was on the other side. 

Inside, Midas caught a glimpse of the table. It was white in a circular shape. Surrounding it was seventeen chairs, each with a golden nameplate in front of it. Out of the seventeen seats, five of them had someone sitting on them. One of them was the Iron Man himself, Tony Stark.

The older man adjusted his glasses when he saw him. He boasted, "Ah, another one joins the call," Tony stands from his chair and walks towards the golden man. "Let's see here, sharply dressed, stone-cold face, an abundance of tattoos and a pair of magic hands. You're Midas, Correct?"

Midas kept his composure and reached his hand out to Tony to shake it. He answered in a formal tone. "The one and only, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Stark."

With a smirk growing on his face, Tony pulled his hand away from Midas and gave a quick pat on his back as he beamed. "Hey, cut it out with the formal act, alright. I get that's your style, but it's not mine. The meeting doesn't start until everyone is here, so relax for a bit, alright?" 

Still, with his hand placed on Midas' back, Tony leads him to the table. Midas asks Tony, "Why did you want me to attend this meeting anyway?"

Tony gives a simple smile before returning to his seat. He answers Midas in a bold tone. "Wait until the meeting starts, and everything will make sense. Until then, take a seat, friend." 

Finding his nameplate, Midas sits on the soft red chair. They were similar to the ones he had at Ghost, the only difference being the colour and the material. Next to him was Jules, who gave a silent smile at her older brother. Midas gave her one in return as the two siblings waited for the others to arrive. 

One by one, everyone arrived for the meeting. It wasn't long before a majority of the guests had shown up to hear what Iron Man had planned for them. There was some chatter around the table, though nothing serious. Midas took a quick gaze on his other side. Sitting next to him was the current leader of Ghost, Ocean. 

Ocean is considered one of Ghost's top agents. It was the main reason why Midas ordered her to become the de facto leader of Ghost if he was ever out of commission. In his defense, she was his best pick for a substitute leader compared to his other top agents. Brutus and TNTina worked as double agents. Meowcles was a cat, and Skye is a minor, making her the leader would have been downright cruel. The only downside to making Ocean the leader. Was that her first decree was to order the execution of Midas. Though from her perspective, Shadow manipulated her and the other Ghost agents into believing that Midas had betrayed them. Midas couldn't blame her. Ocean was in pain. It was a good thing that she was the first person Midas went to when it came to clear his name with the help of Zoey. Their eyes locked for a second, the two gave a mutual nod to each other before turning straight to Tony Stark.

Tony gave a devilish grin, clicking his fingers to grab everyone's attention. He turned to his assistant, standing next to him. He whispered, "Is this everyone?" The assistant gave a gentle nod before Tony turned his attention back to his guests. "I think a little introduction is in order here. I doubt you all know each other."

With a snap of his fingers again, his assistant looked up at the round table. Glancing between her notepad, she spoke in a formal tone. "Of course, sir." She started to address them in seating order. "First off is world-class Engineer and the current leader of Shadow; Miss Jules."

"How come none of you guys have last names?" Tony interrupted his assistant while he stared at Jules with curiosity.

Jules looked back at Tony. She answered his question with a solemn face. "We do. It's not really important information here. On Apollo, our last names are, for the most part, meaningless."

Tony shrugged his shoulders to Jules' response. He motioned his assistant to continue.

Adjusting the notepad, she spoke again. "Next, we have the former leader of Ghost with the golden touch and the inventor of The Device; Midas."

Midas' eyes darted around the table to see everyone. Some were looking at him while others were looking at the assistant. He shuffled in his seat, looking at everyone she announced.

"Here, we have the current leader of Ghost, Ocean. Following her, the pilot and creator of The Mecha Team Leader and the former guardian of The Zero Point; Singularity." 

Midas turned his attention to Singularity. His mind began to think of the possibilities of why they were all picked. Things were starting to make sense to him. 

"After her, we have three members of The Seven joining us."

The Seven, Midas stared at the three close to him. The Seven were responsible for discovering the loop. They were the reason for the destruction of Athena. The mysterious beings in robotic suits remained in a still position as the assistant called on them. Because of their helmets, it was hard to tell what they were looking at, which unnerved him. The three in question where Paradigm, the Scientist and the self-proclaimed leader. The Visitor. Midas knew some things about the Visitor. Zoey used to tell him stories about him and his inventions. He remembered her telling him about how she and her friends helped the Visitor construct the first rocket all those years ago. 

"Then we have the former head of Frosty Flights and world-class spy; Lynx." 

Midas looked towards Lynx, who was busy adjusting the cat ears on her hat. Out of everyone here, excluding Jules and Ocean. Lynx is the only person who has some history with him. He remembered her working part-time in Ghost for a while.

"Next, dubbed the smartest scientists on the island to date. Here we have Maven and Prodigy. Finally, we have with us the agent with a mysterious allegiance, Hugo."

Hugo was a strange case for everyone. He was the only known member of an unknown faction that no one had any idea of, not even Ghost or Shadow had any information on it. The only things people knew about it were it's logo and Hugo himself. Midas gazed at him, watching him twirling his butterfly knives on the table.

Tony smirked when his assistant finished listing everyone off. He waved a hand in the air before he queried. "So this is everyone? Last time I checked-," He gestured to The Seven with a flick of his wrist. "You guys were called The Seven, not The Three. Where are the other four?" Tony gestured again to the four empty seats next to Paradigm. 

"That is classified information." The Visitor replied to Tony in a quick, monotoned voice, quickly turning his head to face the Iron Man.

Tony shrugged, "Oh ok," He sounded unsatisfied with the answer. "You could've just said they didn't want to come." He turned away from The Seven and gestured at Jules, Ocean and Midas. "I also asked for the former leaders of both Ghost and Shadow. Where's Chaos Agent?" He motioned at the empty seat that was between him and Jules.

Both Midas and Jules glanced at each other with wide eyes, with Midas remembering the night Chaos Agent attacked him. While he was healing from his wounds, Jules told him how she won a fight between him and sent the goop covered monster swimming for his life as she shot at him. That was the last time they saw him.

Jules looked back to Tony, her eyes still wide. Maintaining her composure, she answered him with a formal tone. "We don't know. Last I saw, I fired him."

"Fired him?"

"Yes, I fired him," Jules took a glance at her brother with a smirk. "After that, no one has heard from him."

Tony adjusted his glasses again, speaking to himself. "Well, that's just great. I was looking forward to meeting him. He seemed to be quite the mastermind." Midas prevented himself from rolling his eyes after hearing Tony speck so positive about that monster. "Well then, with that out the way, let's begin."

Tony looked around everyone before snapping his fingers. The lights in the room slightly dimmed as a holographic image of Apollo appeared on the table. Tony began to speak in a professional tone, "There is a reason why I called you all here today," his voice grew louder. "Now, I'm sure you all know that your planet is in danger of being devoured by Galactus. By the looks of things, we only have a week left before he arrives. Earlier today, I had a meeting with the other heroes to discuss our plans to defeat him once and for all. I called you because out of everyone on Apollo. You guys know this island better than anyone else. Some of you have some experience with the Zero Point. Or you have skills that could be vital to us. That's why you're here, after all, who knows their home better than the natives." 

"Let me get this straight," Ocean interrupted Tony with a question, "You invited us here so we could help you?"

Tony grinned at the women. "Exactly, who wouldn't want to save their home?" He pointed at Midas, "Plus, it would give you guys some redemption points form the locals." Midas stared at him with wide eyes. "What? You didn't think I would find out about the flood. Don't worry. I know you're in the clear, now then-." Tony continued talking while Midas stared at him dumbfounded. 

"So I think the first point of discussion is about the Zero Point," Tony turned to Singularity and The Seven to inquire them. "What can you guys tell me about it?"

The Visitor was the one to speak. "In a basic definition, The Zero Point is an orb of power that can manipulate both space and time. It's responsible for creating the rifts around Apollo. It's the cause of the loop, and It's the reason why no one has aged a day since they arrived here."

Paradigm started to speak over The Visitor. "Back on Athena, The Zero Point became unstable. We attempted to destroy it to break out of the loop. Instead, it sucked us in and created Apollo." She used her hands to gesture around herself in the room. "From what we can tell you, we haven't escaped the loop, and we don't know the current location of The Zero Point. All we know is that it's somewhere on the island."

Tony frowned before speaking again. "Well, that's just great. All we know so far is that Galactus is here for The Zero Point. Does anyone have any idea where it is?" He turned his attention back to Singularity, expecting her to have an answer. Instead, she shook her head at the older man.

"Just because I used to guard it doesn't mean I know everything about it," Singularity spoke in a deadpanned tone, never taking his eyes off him.

Tony snapped his fingers before talking again. "Well, since no one knows where it is, I guess we can move on to other important things."

Midas laid by the counter as he took a sip of coffee from his cup, staring at everyone else in the meeting room. They decided to take a quick coffee break while Iron Man talked with his assistant about writing up the information they got from everyone. So far, the meeting has been lackluster for him. Right now, they've discussed The Zero Point and the plan for the island residents to help them fight back against Galactus. It made sense why Tony asked for Ghost and Shadow. Both of them were rich in advanced technology and employed by tons of gifted agents and builders. Tony had made arrangements for Shadow and Ghost to temporarily collab with Stark Industries with the purpose of mass-producing Jet-packs, Battle Buses and other miscellaneous devices that could aid Apollo in the upcoming battle. 

He remembered Tony asking him about the Device he constructed months ago. Midas didn't want to admit it, but he liked getting some recognition for his inventions, even if he did get some stares from The Seven. Even with their helmets on, it was easy to tell they were looking right at him. In his defence, Midas thought the storm was responsible for the loop. He didn't know anything about The Zero Point until the heroes came to their world. Midas was a smart man, but he was an idiot when it came to math. If anything can prove it, it was the Device. By the sounds of it, it seems like Midas might be working with the Iron Man. Good, he needed a new job anyway. It's not like Midas needs the money. He finds himself getting bored when there's nothing critical to do. 

Without thinking, Midas moved his free hand to his pocket where the flashcards were. Quickly, he pulled his hand away before he could take one out. Now would not be the right time. The last thing Midas needs is people knowing that he has a crush on someone. He could already imagine Jules teasing him endlessly about the flashcards. Throughout the meeting, Midas catches himself daydreaming about Zoey. He couldn't help it. He was in love. Besides, it's not like anyone noticed they were too busy discussing war tactics.

"Hey, Midas," The sound of Lynx talking to him brought Midas out of his trance. He turned to look at Lynx. She smiled while she spoke in a teasing tone, "It's unlike you being quiet in meetings. Are we boring you?" Lynx gently nudged his arm for a response.

Midas shook his head, keeping a black face as he answered her question jokingly. "Please, you always bore me."

"I could say the same to you. Every time you'd host a meeting, It feels like I'm going to drop dead. No offence but you can be a drag sometimes. You can go on and on and on and-"

"Yeah, I get it, Lynx," Midas sighed, sipping his coffee.

Jules walked up to Midas and Lynx with a coffee in hand. She jumped into their conversation. "You're one to talk, Lynx," She added. "When the topic of cats or fighting strategies come to your attention, you info dump to your heart's content." The two girls laughed at each other as Tony Stark walked up to the three.

Tony smiled, "Glad to see some of you guys know each other."

Midas finished his coffee before talking to Tony, "Oh yeah, you could say we have a history together."

Tony's eyes began to dart between Lynx and Midas. His smile turned crocked, followed by a chuckle. "Oh, I see, Lynx, I didn't know he was your type."

"Umm, you miscalculated Tony," Jules interrupted him with a smirk, "Midas isn't Lynx's type. I'm her type." The two girls shared a giggle as Tony slowly pulled the pieces together. 

"Oh, my apologies, I didn't know."

Jules raised her hand, smiling at the older man. "Don't worry about it. It's all history now. Just water under the bridge." The two girls delivered a mutual nod to one another.

"Well, glad to see we're all acting like adults here," Tony clasped his hands together after placing his cup of coffee on the counter near Midas. "What about now? You guys seeing anyone?"

Jules shook her head while Lynx shrugged at the question. Tony turned his attention to Midas, who appeared to be staring off into the distance. It didn't seem like he was looking at anything particular Midas seemed to be grinning, which took Tony aback. Seeing him smile was new to him.

"Hey, Daydreamer," Tony called out to him, snapping his fingers. Immediately, Midas came to his senses and brought his attention to Tony.

"Oh, yes," Midas shook his head, coming back to his senses as Tony continued to talk.

"You've been spacing out a lot, and you don't seem like the absent-minded type of guy. What's up?"

"Nothing," Midas placed his cup down on the counter. "I'm fine. I just haven't been getting enough sleep recently."

"Let me guess you're paranoid about your impending death." Tony chuckled, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We're heroes. It's our job to protect people from harm. That's why I called you here. You're an inventor. People like you are the kind who we need right now. Just focus on your abilities, and the possibility of dying becomes an impossibility."

Midas simply nodded his head at the older man, muttering a few 'thank yous' to him.

"Alright, everyone," Tony pulled away from him and bellowed in the meeting room, grabbing everyone's attention. "Five minutes and will resume the meeting. I want to discuss some information regarding Galactus and a couple of other things I haven't gotten around to." 

As everyone prepared themselves for the next hour, Jules pulled on her brother's arm to get his attention. "Midas, what's going on?" She questioned him, a hint of worry rising in her voice. "You admit to being scared in front of someone you don't know? That's utterly out of character for you."

Midas stared at his little sister. He reassured her. "Jules, I'm ok. I just got a lot on my mind at the moment, nothing serious. I promise." 

Before Jules could reply, Maven and Tony's assistant suddenly dashed past Midas and towards the exit. The sudden force caused Midas to trip to the ground, causing some of his flashcards to spill over the floor. 

"Midas! Are you ok?" Jules gasped, kneeling to her brother. Everyone else, excluding Iron Man, was distracted by Maven and the assistant darting out of the room to notice Midas. When he caught a glimpse of the flashcards, Midas' cheeks turned pink. He quickly rushed to pick them up before anyone noticed.

"What's with all the white paper?"

Midas rattled in response to Jules. "I'm ok, don't worry. Don't touch them. I got it."

Ignoring her brother's demand, Jules picked up one of the flashcards while Tony stared at the two. Looking at the card, she began to read it out loud. "Are you made of Beryllium, Gold, and Titanium? Because darling, you are beautiful." Jules stared at Midas with confusion, a small laugh escaping her lips. "What the hell is this?"

In a quick flash, Midas snatched the card from Jules's hand as he finished picking up the rest of the cards, stuffing them into his pocket at a rapid pace. His cheeks now a shade of hot red. "It's nothing." He picked himself up from the floor while avoiding eye contact with Jules. Jules stared at her brother, watching him walk back to his chair. She noticed flecks of gold shining on the flashcards. 

The lobby was silent as Midas laid by the wall, waiting for his limo to pick him up. The meeting had ended fifteen minutes ago, and people were already making their way home. He checked his watch. His foot tapped impatiently. For him, the meeting went quite alright, by the looks of things. It seems everyone on Apollo is aiding the heroes in the Nexus war. Midas, Maven, Prodigy and Jules especially. Tony has tasked them with manufacturing updates to the Jet-packs and joining Iron Man in his upcoming meetings to discuss more tactics in defeating Galactus. 

While staring at nothing, Midas felt his hand brush on his trouser pocket again. He glared down to see the crumpled up flashcards, covered with gold sparkles. He groaned to himself in embarrassment, moving his hand away from his pocket. His mind went to imagine the different scenarios of Zoey reacting to the pickup lines. Some of them, she was blushing, and in others, Zoey was laughing. The mental image of Zoey smiling at his words made Midas grin.

"Excuse me, but I believe you dropped one." The sound of Tony's voice bought Midas out of his trance as he looked forward. In front of him was Tony, holding one of the flashcards in his hand. 

Before Midas could react, Tony took a peek at the card and began to read it out loud in a monotoned voice. "If kisses were snowflakes, I would send you a blizzard." All Midas could do was turn a shade of Pink. 

Tony chuckled before speaking in a more casual tone. "It's alright, I understand. Love isn't easy. Why do you think I became a playboy in my early years." He handed the card back to Midas. "Let's talk, billionaire to billionaire." Midas lowered his shoulders as Tony leaned on the wall next to him. 

"So, who's the lucky guy or girl that's stolen your golden heart?"

Midas' eyes darted around the lobby to make sure no one was near him. He spoke in a flustered tone. "Just someone I care about, I tried asking her out, but I just can't do it."

"What's she like? is she pretty?"

"She's beautiful. There's no one else quite like her." Midas started to smile, playing with the card in his hand. "She's energetic, bubbly, the funniest person I have ever meet. The sweets she makes are so delicious. She's the only person other than my sister that understands my science jokes. But what I love about her most is that she's so unapologetic about being herself." He gave a gentle sigh. "She a Tanzanite among Diamonds."

Tony continued to gaze at Midas, his smile never fading. "Wow," he muttered. "Sounds like she caught your eye. So when's the wedding?"

Midas jumped from the wall in surprise. His voice began to stutter. "Wait-I-I haven't even asked her out. Just because you find it easy doesn't mean everyone else does." Midas calmed himself down, looking back to Tony with a frustrated frown. "I've never asked out anyone before. Everyone I've been with has always made the first move. It's all new to me. I'm not used to it. I don't know why I'm finding it so difficult to ask her out." 

"Have you tried not asking her out?"

Midas stared at Tony with confusion. "What do you mean by that?" He questioned him.

"What I mean is instead of asking her out on a date, why don't you try hanging out with her platonically. Spend some time together doing things that friends do. It will make you more comfortable being alone with her. That's what I did with Pepper when I learnt I had feelings for her." Tony gave a hard part on Midas' back with chuffed laughter. "Just spend time with one another, and you'll be fine."

The sound of a limo honking brought Midas and Tony's attention towards the entrance. Midas' limo had arrived. Midas shook the older man's hand, thanking him for the meeting and the advice. "I appreciate the guidance. I'll consider it." 

As Midas and Tony said their goodbyes to one another, unbeknownst to them, Jules watched them from behind a pillar, listing to every word coming out of her brother's mouth. 

A knock on the door brought Zoey's attention away from her book. Her body darted to the door at a rapid pace, curiosity rising within her. Who was at the door? She wasn't expecting anyone specific. When she opened the front door, Zoey's eyes meet Midas, a small smile plastered on his face. The moment their eyes meet, Zoey started to grin, swaying from side to side. She bubbled in a sing-song voice. "Midas, you're here! I missed you so much."

"What do you mean? We spoke earlier today."

Zoey's face turned a slight shade of peach as she began to scratch the back of her neck. She stuttered, "Oh-umm-really? It felt longer." Quickly, Zoey composed herself before she spoke again. "How was your meeting with Iron Man?" She squealed with excitement after mentioning him. 

Midas tried not to blush as he gazed at Zoey, his heart beating faster. He answered in a calm tone. "The meeting went alright if I do say so myself. He just wanted to prepare everyone for the fight. I'm going to be working with him for a while on the Battle Buses and Jet-packs." 

Zoey stepped towards Midas with glee. The two were a couple of centimetres away from one another. She squealed, hopping in place. "Really?! you're working with Tony Stark. That's incredible, Midas." Zoey was about to hug Midas but stopped herself and placed her hands behind her back. "That's incredible. I'm happy for you. If a little bit jealous."

"Thanks, Zoey." Midas scratched the back of his neck as he continued to gaze at her. "From what I've gathered. They want me with Jules, Maven and Prodigy on standby to secure the Buses before the fight."

"Wow, first the flood, then the shadow demons, and now you're going to join the fight against Galactus. You're never going to stop, are you?" Zoey ended her question with a giggle. 

"Afraid not, I understand if you want to stay away for your own safety."

Midas didn't expect Zoey's expression to change so drastically. Her smile faded, and her eyebrows narrowed. She responded to him with a caring tone. "Stay away? Midas. No, I would never do that to you. I've survived zombies, an Ice Age, a volcanic eruption, giant monster battles,  
the destruction of Athena and a world-ending flood. Midas, being with you is the least life-threatening thing to ever happen to me." 

The air grew silent. The two stared at one another. Midas' mouth opened slightly as Zoey's cheeks turned pink again. "Zoey," Midas began. "You honestly feel safe with me?"

"Yes, Why wouldn't I be?"

"No offence, but have you seen my resumé?" The two shared a mutual laugh after Midas' question. He quickly composed himself, remembering why he arrived in the first place. "Speaking of earlier, since I'll be working with Tony, I'm afraid we can't hang out as much as before."

Zoey gave an understanding nod at the golden man. She expected this when Midas first told her about the meeting. Still, she didn't like being away from Midas after spending so many months together.

Midas followed up on the conversation, "Which is why I'm asking you if you would like to come to Risky Reels with me. They're showing off some vintage horror movies today, and I wondered if you want to join in. I remember you saying that you wanted to watch some of them." 

He handed Zoey a poster showing off the list of old horror movies. Zoey recognized some of the names. She recalled telling him about how much she's been dying to seem them. It was hard finding movies on Apollo, especially the ones that were a couple of years old. Her smile grew wider as her eyes sparkled with joy. "Oh, Midas, I would love to join you, but I thought you didn't like horror movies?"

"I do like them. The thing is, I don't watch scary movies with other people." 

"Why not?"

Midas leaned in closer to Zoey, trying not to blush when he whispered his answer to her. "Between you and me, I scream like a girl." 

In response, Zoey gave a sympathetic laugh before she chirped at him. "It's ok. I scream like a girl too. We can be scared together."

The two shared another mutual laugh together as Zoey locked the door to her house and started walking with Midas towards Risky Reels. The two walked side by side in the chill autumn afternoon. Zoey looked down to see her and Midas' hands. She contemplated reaching out to hold his, but she decided against it. She looked back to Midas. The two began to talk with one another about everything and nothing.


End file.
